Retractable ball-type castering device



Nov. 20, 1956 W. W. ANGELICA ET AL RETRACTABLE BALL-TYPE CASTERING DEVICE Filed June 13, 1955 United States Patent RETRACTABLE BALL-TYPE CASTERING DEVICE Wilbert W. Angelica, Cicero, and Robert T. Miller, Clarendon Hills, Ill.

Application June 13, 1955, Serial No. 515,124

6 Claims. (Cl. 1624) This invention relates to a ball, or roller, type of castering device. More particularly, this invention relates to a ball caster of a retractable type.

It is a prime object of this invention to provide an improved roller caster adapted for connection to objects to be moved, such as furniture, pallets, machinery, etc; the said objects being maintained in stationary position for a period of time and occasionally moved.

-It is a further object of this invention to provide a ballroller type of castering device for objects to be intermittently moved; the device including means whereby the roller is automatically retracted into an inoperative position by exerting a momentary downward pressure on the roller to thereby position said object on the floor free of said roller; said roller also being automatically movable to the operative position by merely momentarily removing the normal downward pressure on the roller which is a result of the weight of the article to which it is attached.

Still another object is to provide a disappearing, or retractable, ball roller for furniture, or the like, which will permit free movement of the articles to which it is attached during an operative position, and is retracted during the normal stationary position of the article.

A further object is to provide a retractable caster for furniture, and the like, comprising: dis-appearing roller means which will retract during a momentary downward pressure on the caster during a force greater than the normal weight of the article, which will maintain itself in the retracted position by the normal weight of the article, and which will automatically move to an operative projecting position during the momentary absence of weight on said caster.

A still further object is to provide an improved retractable caster including animproved locking means for maintaining the caster in an operative position.

These and other objects will become more readily apparent during a reading of the specification when examined in connection with the accompanying sheet of drawing.

-In the drawing:

Figure 1 is an elevational view, partially in section, of a retractable caster device, showing a roller in a retracted position;

Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1, showing a roller caster in an extended or operative position;

Figure 3 is an exploded perspective view, showing a caster device with its various components in the manner in which they are assembled; and

Figure 4 is a view of an article, such as a piece of fumiture, showing an improved castering device connected thereto.

Referring now particularly to Figure 4, a table or similar article of furniture, is designated by the reference character 10. The table includes a plurality of legs 11 (only one of which is shown), each leg being provided with a bore 12 in which a castering device 13 is positioned. As shown in Figures 1 through 3, the castering device 13 Patented Nov. 20, 1956 comprises a cylindrical casing 14 having a substantially closed end defined by an inturned annular flange 15.

The casing 14 comprises an elongated bore 16 (or cylindrical inner wall), the said casing also having an annular recess 17. The outer surface of the casing 14 is also provided with a plurality of vertically extending ridges, or knurls, 18.

A ball retainer is designated at 19, the said retainer being slideably positioned within the casing 14. The retainer has, at its lower end, a socket 20 in which a ball, or spherical roller, 21 is positioned for relative rolling movement.

An annular recess 22 is provided on the inner wall, or bore, 16; the said recess having diverging or tapering sides 22. An annular recess 23 is also provided in the outer peripheral surface of the retainer 19. A split ring 24 is disposed in the recess 23. A resilient member, in the form of a spring, 25 is disposed within the casing 14 between the flange 15 and the top surface of the retainer 19; the said top surface being designated at 26.

The sequence of assembly of the castering device is well disclosed in Figure 3. In use, such a device may be inserted in each of the legs of a piece of furniture, as indicated in Figure 4; or, it may be suitably attached to any article, such as a pallet, machine, etc., which occasionally must be moved from place to place.

During the retracted position of the ball, as shown in Figure l, the split ring 24 is disposed above the recess 22, and the table weight is carried on its legs flat on the floor; the ball roller only lightly engaging the floor by virtue of the pressure of the spring 25. The tension of the spring has been predetermined so that the empty weight of the table will be suflicient to maintain the balls in the retracted position. In this position, since the weight is fully carried on the legs, it is obvious that undesirable marking of the floor is avoided; such markings or indentations being particularly prevalent in the use of conventional casters on floors made of composition tile, etc.,

When it is desired to move the table, or article the table is merely raised slightly from the floor, one side at a time, and the spring 25 is effective to move each of the rollers to its projected, or operating, position, as shown in Figures 2 and 4. The split ring 25 now snaps into position in the recess 22 and the ball is locked in this projected position. The article can now be moved and rolled in any direction. The snap ring effectively holds the retainer and ball in this position during transportation of the table. When the table has again been placed in the desired position, it is only necessary to press, momentarily, down on the table, whereupon each snap ring rides on the upper tapered or diverging side 22 out of the recess and the balls are again placed in the retracted position.

Thus, it can be seen that the snap ring acts as an eflective locking device andthat the ball is retracted and projected in automatic fashion by a very simple process. All

made without departing from the spirit of the invention I or from the scope of the appended claims.

What we claim is:

1. A caster device adapted to be attached to objects to be moved from one place to another, comprising: a cylindrical casing having an inner wall providing a bore, a substantially closed upper end and a substantially open lower end, a ball carrier slidingly disposed in said bore, said carrier including an outer wall and a socket, a ball roller disposed in said socket, an annular recess disposed in the wall of said here intermediate the ends of said casing, an annular recess disposed in the outer wall of said carrier, a split ring disposed in said recess of said carrier and a spring disposed between the closed upper end of said casing and said carrier for normally urging said carrier toward said open end, whereby said ball projects outwardly of the casing in operative position and said split ring engages the recess in the wall of said casing to lock said carrier in an operative position, said carrier being movable into an inoperative position with said ball disposed within said casing and said split ring disengaged from the recess in said casing wall during a predetermined downward thrust on said casing.

2. A caster device adapted to be attached to objects to be moved from one place to another, comprising: a cylindrical casing having an innerwall providing a bore, a substantially closed upper end and a substantially open lower end, a ball carrier slidingly disposed in said bore, said carrier including an outer wall, a ball roller carried by said carrier, an annular recess disposed in the wall of said bore intermediate the ends of said casing, an annular recess disposed in the outer wall of said carrier, a split ring disposed in said recess of said carrier and a spring disposed between the closed upper end of said casing and said carrier for normally urging said carrier toward said open end, whereby said ball projects outwardly of the casing in operative position and said split ring engages the recess in the wall of said casing to lock said carrier in an operative position, said carrier being movable into an inoperative position with said ball disposed within said casing and said split ring disengaged from the recess in said casing wall during a predetermined downward thrust on said casing.

3. A caster device adapted to be attached to objects to be moved from one place to another, comprising: a cylindrical casing having an inner wall providing a bore, a substantially closed upper end and a substantially open lower end, a ball carrier slidingly disposed in said bore, said carrier including an outer wall, a ball roller carried by said carrier, an annular recess disposed in the wall of said bore intermediate the ends of said casing; an annular recess disposed in the outer wall of said carrier, a split ring disposed in said recess of said carrier and a resilient means disposed between the closed upper end of said casing and said carrier for normally urging said carrier toward said open end, whereby said ball projects outwardly of the casing in operative position and said split ring engages the recess in the wall of said casing to lock said carrier in an operative position, said carrier being movable into an inoperative position with said ball disposed within said casing and said split ring disengaged from the recess in said casing wall during a predetermined downward thrust on said casing.

4. A caster device adapted to be attached to objects to be moved from one place to another, comprising: a cylindrical casing having an inner wall, and an opening at its lower portion thereof, a ball carrier slidingly disposed in said casing, said carrier including an outer wall slidable relative to said inner wall, a ball roller carried by said carrier, an annular recess disposed in the wall of said bore intermediate the ends of said casing, a split ring carried on the outer wall of said carrier and a resilient means disposed between the closed upper end of said casing and said carrier for normally urging said carrier toward said opening, whereby said ball projects outwardly of the casing in operative position and said split ring engages the recess in the wall of said casing to lock said carrier in an.operative position, said carrier being movable into an inoperative positionwith said ball disposed withinsaid casing and said split ring dis ngaged from the recess in said casing wall during a predetermined downward thrust on said casing.

5. A caster device adapted to be attached to objects to be moved from one place to another, comprising: a casing having an inner wall, said casing having a lowenportion provided with an opening, a carrier movably disposed within said casing, a recess disposed on the wall, a roller connected to said carrier in relative rollingvrelation, a split ring carried by said carrier, said ring being adapted to engage said recess, a resilient means within said casing adapted .to urge said carrier to an operative position whereby said roller projects outwardly of said casing, and whereby said split ring engages said recess for locking said carrier in position relative to said casing, said carrier being movable to position said roller in a retracted position whereby said split ring is disengaged from said recess during a predetermined downward thrust on said roller.

6. A caster device adapted to be attached to objects to be moved from one place to another, comprising: a casing having an inner wall, said casing having a lower portion provided with an opening, a carrier movably disposed within said casing, a recess disposed in the wall, said recess having at least one tapered surface a roller connected to said carrier in relative rolling relation, a resilient stop carried by said carrier, said stop being normally urged'laterally outwardly independently of said carrier into engagement with the recess and tapered surface, a resilient means within said casing adapted to urge said carrier to an operative position whereby said roller projects outwardly of said casing, and whereby said stop is engaged in said recess for locking said carrier in position relative to said casing, said carrier being movable to position said roller in a retracted position upon a pre determined downward thrust upon said caster device whereby said stop moves on said tapered surface and is disengaged from said recess.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,032,006 Hyde July 9, 1912 2,176,551 Solem Oct. 17, 1939 FOREIGN PATENTS 203,389 Switzerland Mar. 15, 1939 

